letter

Ten wildlife photographers have signed a letter calling on the Ministry of Defence to stop using the fur of black bears for the Queen's Guard's famous caps.

A call to public galleries, libraries, archives, and museums to liberate our cultural heritage. Illustrated with the cautionary tales of extinct species and our lack of access to what remains of them.

Dear potential client, I have no crystal ball, yet I know you will be calling me this week for information about what I do. You might have seen one of my displays or my website or, hopefully, you were referred by a friend. And you will have liked what you saw—otherwise, you wouldn’t be calling me. And for that, I am truly happy.

I have read so many magazine articles, social media posts, and had discussions in which ‘established’ photographers don’t think new and aspiring photographers should be allowed to chart the same course that they once did (and perhaps still do). I’m referring to the general idea of starting with little or no fee to gain experience and establish themselves.

With this article, I don’t want to ruin someone’s life and business or stop them from pursuing their passion, dreams, or whatever they’re after. But I do want to speak about this subject, as my frustrations with unprofessional wedding insiders have been slowly building up in the last few months.

Syrian photographer, journalist, and activist Shamel Al-Ahmad knew well the risk he was taking staying in Aleppo, documenting the atrocities being perpetrated on his city. He says as much in this, his last letter, published by Humans of Aleppo after Al-Ahmad was killed.

Dear Photography,

You have been around long before I ever picked up a camera, and you will undoubtedly be around long after I fire off my last exposure. Photos resonate with people, which is why I, like so many others, love your craft.

Restrictive concert photography contracts have been a big story in the photo world over the past several months. Taylor Swift, the Foo Fighters, Dweezil Zappa, and Janet Jackson have all made headlines for their extremely strict -- and often rights-grabbing -- contracts that photographers and reporters must sign before covering a concert.

Now a number of the media industry's biggest associations and organizations have published an open letter to performers on behalf of thousands of photographers and journalists in the United States.

The United States announced last month that it's creating a federal drone registry and will soon require that all drone owners register their devices in order to fly legally. While the move should help reign in the "wild wild west" that is the drone industry today, some are wary that over-regulation could hurt the rights of drone owners -- including the rights of the media to gather news.

In a piece we published back in September, drone owner Pablo Castro argues that his country, Colombia, has implemented "absurd, abusive, illogical laws" that make it virtually impossible for people to use their drones legally.

The problem of photographers being seen as "pedophiles with cameras" is widespread and is a subject we've reported on and written about many times over the years. One of the latest victims is David Updike, a Harvard-educated photographer and writer.

While sitting in Cambridge's Dana Park on September 23rd, Updike found himself suddenly surrounded by police officers and questioned about what he was taking pictures of. It turns out a woman had reported him for "taking pictures of children," and now Updike has responded to the incident by writing an open letter to that woman.

San Antonio, Texas-based boudoir photographer Victoria Caroline Haltom saw a Facebook post go viral recently after she shared an email she received from a husband who was disappointed after seeing retouched photos of his wife.

A new letter published by Kensington Palace in the United Kingdom sheds light at the extreme measures paparazzi are taking in order to capture valuable photos of Prince George, the son of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Prince George was born in 2013 and has endured the prying lenses of paparazzi photographers since day one.

The letter was addressed to “leaders of media industry bodies and standards organizations" around the world. It argues that tactics being used to photograph Prince George are becoming “increasingly dangerous” and have become distressing.

Just last week we shared the news that a number of top filmmakers were helping to save Kodak motion picture film, pushing through a deal between the noted film manufacturer and studios.

While initial reports stated Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Judd Apatow and J.J. Abrams are all dropping some names and heartfelt thoughts on the matter, a letter to Kodak from iconic director Martin Scorsese recently poured some serious gasoline on the film-love fire.

Dear Eric,

You are 18 years old. You just got a point and shoot digital camera from Mom as a high school graduation present. You are super excited, as you never had a camera before. A lot of exciting things will happen in your life surrounding photography. I wanted to write this letter to you and give you some advice I wish I knew. This is coming from your 26-year-old-self.

Dear clever person who stole my camera from the Barcelona train station -- yes, you are oh so clever. I must say, I read about your ilk in all the guidebooks and could not even imagine how you might be able to get my beloved camera from my ever-watchful grasp, but you and your band of accomplices managed to play me and my group of friends like a fine tuned instrument. I am still only guessing at what you did to me.

Earlier this week we reported that it is now easier for photographers in the UK to pursue copyright infringement cases without having to shell out big money for a lawyer. While that law change is likely a big boon for photographers, there are other proposed law changes that have some photographers up in arms.

Earlier this week, photographer Jeanine Thurston shared a letter that she received from a client that powerfully illustrates the value of photography. Thurston writes,

Last week we wrote about an obscure law in Washington DC that can land a person in …

Photographer Tony Wu constantly receives requests that ask whether he would be willing to work for free in exchange for "credit" and "exposure". Instead of a lengthy response explaining why he doesn't want to work for free, Wu often leaves the emails unanswered, or worse, ends up sending snippy responses that he later regrets. He recently came up with the idea of writing a generic and informational response that all professional photographers can respond with.

Mother’s Day is in just a couple of days, and if you’re planning on writing a letter for your …